ページの画像
PDF
ePub

1780-1785.

who led him out to walk in the Gardens, and, in a mood of 'deeper and deeper seriousness, discoursed and exhorted him on the supreme law of truth and probity that lies on all men, and on all Kings still more; one of his expressions being, “Look at "this high thing" (the Obelisk they were passing in the Gardens), "its uprightness is its strength (sa droiture fait sa force);” and his final words, "Remember this evening, my good Fritz; perแ haps thou wilt think of it, long after, when I am gone." As 'the good Friedrich Wilhelm III. declares piously he often did, ' in the storms of fate that overtook him.'12

Industrial matters, that of Colonies especially, of drainages, embankments, and reclaiming of waste lands, are a large item in the King's business,-readers would not guess how large, or how incessant. Under this head there is on record, and even lies at my hand translated into English, what might be called a Colonial Day with Friedrich (Day of July 23d, 1779; which Friedrich, just come home from the Bavarian War, spent wholly, from 5 in the morning onward, in driving about, in earnest survey of his Colonies and Land-Improvements in the Potsdam-Ruppin Country); curious enough Record, by a certain Bailiff or Overseer, who rode at his chariotside, of all the questions, criticisms and remarks of Friedrich on persons and objects, till he landed at Ruppin for the night. Taken down, with forensic, almost with religious exactitude, by the Bailiff in question; a Son-in-law of the Poet Gleim,-by whom it was published, the year after Friedrich's death;13 and by many

12 R. F. Eylert, Charakterzüge und historische Fragmente aus dem Leben des Königs von Preussen, Friedrich Wilhelm III. (Magdeburg, 1843), i. 450-456. This is a King's Chaplain and Bishop Eylert:' undoubtedly he heard this Anecdote from his Master, and was heard repeating it; but the dialect his Editors have put it into is altogether tawdry, modern, and impossible to take for that of Friedrich, or even, I suppose, of Friedrich Wilhelm III.

13 Is in Anekdoten und Karakterzüge, No. 8 (Berlin, 1787), pp. 15-79.

9th-16th July 1780. others since. It is curiously authentic, characteristic in parts, though in its bald forensic style rather heavy reading. Luckier, for most readers, that inexorable want of room has excluded it, on the present occasion!

No reader adequately fancies, or could by any single Document be made to do so, the continual assiduity of Friedrich in regard to these interests of his. The strictest Husbandman is not busier with his Farm than Friedrich with his Kingdom throughout;-which is indeed a Farm, leased him by the Heavens; in which not a gate-bar can be broken, nor a stone or sod roll into the smallest ditch, but it is to his the Husbandman's damage, and must be instantly looked after. There are Meetings with the Silesian manufacturers (in Review time), Dialogues ensuing, several of which have been preserved; strange to read, however dull. There are many scattered evidences; and only slowly does, not the thing indeed, but the degree of the thing, become fully credible. Not communicable, on the terms prescribed us at present; and must be left to the languid fancy, like so much else.

Here is an Ocular View, here are several such, which we yet happily have, of the actual Friedrich as he looked and lived. These, at a cheap rate, throw transiently some flare of illumination over his Affairs and him: these let me now give; and these shall be all.

Prince de Ligne, after Ten Years, sees Friedrich a Second Time; and reports what was said.

In Summer 1780, as we mentioned, Kaiser Joseph was on his first Visit to the Czarina. They met at Mohilow on the Dnieper, towards the end of May; have been roving about, as if in mere galas and amusements (though with a great deal of business incidentally thrown in), for

6

6

9th-16th July 1780.

above a month since, when Prince de Ligne is summoned to join them at Petersburg. He goes by Berlin, stays at Potsdam with Friedrich for about a week; and reports to Polish Majesty these new Dialogues of 1780, the year after sending him those of Mährisch-Neustadt of 1770, which we read above. Those were written down from memory, in 1785; these in 1786,-and towards the end of it,' as is internally evident. Let these also be welcome to us on such terms as there are:

'Since your Majesty' (Quasi-Majesty, of Poland) 'is willing to lose another quarter of an hour of that time, which you em'ploy so well in gaining the love of all to whom you deign to 'make yourself known, here is my Second Interview. It can be of interest only to you, Sire, who have known the King, and 'who discover traits of character in what to another are but 'simple words. One finds in few others that confidence, or at 'least that kindliness (bonhomie), which characterises your Ma'jesty. With you, one can indulge in rest; but with the King of Prussia, one had always to be under arms, prepared to parry and to thrust, and to keep the due middle between a small 'attack and a grand defence. I proceed to the matter in hand, ' and shall speak to you of him for the last time.

'He had made me promise to come to Berlin. I hastened 'thither directly after that little War' (Potato-War), 'which he called "an action where he had come as bailiff to perform an 'execution." The result for him, as is known, was a great ex'pense of men, of horses and money; some appearance of good 'faith and disinterestedness; little honour in the War; a little 'honesty in Policy, and much bitterness against us Austrians. 'The King began, without knowing why, to prohibit Austrian Officers from entering his Territories without an express order, 'signed by his own hand. Similar prohibition, on the part of our Court, against Prussian Officers; and mutual constraint, 'without profit or reason. I, for my own part, am of confident 'humour; I thought I should need no permission, and I think 'still I could have done without one. But the desire of having a Letter from the great Friedrich, rather than the fear of being ill received, made me write to him. My Letter was all

9th-16th July 1780.

6

[ocr errors]

' on fire with my enthusiasm, my admiration, and the fervour of 'my sentiment for that sublime and extraordinary being; and it brought me three charming Answers from him. He gave me, in detail, almost what I had given him in the gross; and what ' he could not return me in admiration, for I do not remember 'to have gained a battle,―he accorded me in friendship. For fear ' of missing, he had written to me from Potsdam, to Vienna, to Dresden, and to Berlin.' (In fine, at Potsdam I was, Saturday • 9th July 1780, waiting ready;—stayed there about a week).14

[ocr errors]

"While waiting for the hour of 12, with my Son Charles and 'M. de Lille' (Abbé de Lille, prose writer of something now forgotten; by no means lyrical De Lisle, of Les Jardins), 'to be presented to the King, I went to look at the Parade;—and, on ' its breaking up, was surrounded, and escorted to the Palace, by "Austrian deserters, and particularly from my own regiment, who almost caressed me, and asked my pardon for having left me. "The hour of presentation struck. The King received me 'with an unspeakable charm. The military coldness of a Gene'ral's Headquarters changed into a soft and kindly welcome. He said to me, "He did not think I had so big a Son." Ego. "He is even married, Sire; has been so these twelve "months." King. "May I (oserais-je) ask you to whom?" 'He often used this expression, "oserais-je;" and also this: "If you permit me to have the honour to tell you, Si vous me per"mettez d'avoir l'honneur de vous dire." Ego. "To a Polish

"Lady, a Massalska."

King (to my Son). "What, a Massalska? Do you know "what her Grandmother did?" "No, Sire," said Charles.

King. "She put the match to the cannon at the Siege of "Danzig with her own hand;15 she fired, and made others fire, "and defended herself, when her party, who had lost head, "thought only of surrendering."

66

Ego. "Women are indeed undefinable; strong and weak by turns, indiscreet, dissembling, they are capable of anything." "Without doubt," said M. de Lille, distressed that nothing had ' yet been said to him, and with a familiarity which was not

14'9th (or 10th) July 1780' (Rödenbeck, iii. 233): 'Stayed till 16th.' 15 February 1734, in poor Stanislaus Leczinski's second fit of Royalty: Suprà, ii. 485.

6

6

6

6

9th-16th July 1780.

likely to succeed; "Without doubt. Look-" said he. The King interrupted him. I cited some traits in support of my opinion,―as that of the woman Hachette at the Siege of Beauvais.16 The King made a little excursion to Rome and to "Sparta: he liked to promenade there. After half a second of silence, to please De Lille, I told the King that M. de Voltaire 'died in De Lille's arms. That caused the King to address 'some questions to him; he answered in rather too long-drawn 6 a manner, and went away. Charles and I stayed dinner.' This is day first in Potsdam.

[ocr errors]

Here, for five hours daily, the King's encyclopedical con⚫versation enchanted me completely. Fine arts, war, medicine, ‘literature and religion, philosophy, ethics, history and legisla6 tion, in turns passed in review. The fine centuries of Augustus and of Louis XIV.; good society among the Romans, among 'the Greeks, among the French; the chivalry of François I.;

[ocr errors]

the frankness and valour of Henri IV.; the new-birth (renais'sance) of Letters and their revolution since Leo X.; anecdotes about the clever men of other times, and the trouble they give; M. de Voltaire's slips; susceptibilities of M. de Maupertuis; Al'garotti's agreeable ways; fine wit of Jordan; d'Argens's hypo'chondria, whom the King would send to bed for four-andtwenty hours by simply telling him that he looked ill ;—and, in 'fine, what not? Everything, the most varied and piquant that 'could be said, came from him,-in a most soft tone of voice; rather low than otherwise, and no less agreeable than were the movements of his lips, which had an inexpressible grace.

6

6

[ocr errors]

'It was this, I believe, which prevented one's observing that he was, in fact, like Homer's heroes, somewhat of a talker (un peu babillard), though a sublime one. It is to their voices, their noise and gestures, that talkers often owe their reputation 'as such; for certainly one could not find a greater talker than the King; but one was delighted at his being so. Accustomed to talk to Marquis Lucchesini, in the presence of only four or 'five Generals who did not understand French, he compensated in this way for his hours of labour, of study, of meditation and

[ocr errors]

16 A.D. 1472; Burgundians storming the wall, had their flag planted; flag and flag-bearer are hurled into the ditch by Hachette and other inspired women,—with the finest results.

« 前へ次へ »