1766.

what day, 1762: "I have said much ill of you, and don't repent it. "Now everybody has banished me; and it is on your threshold that I "sit down. Kill me, if you have a mind!" And then (after, not death, but the gift of 100 crowns), Note Second, 'October 1762:' "Take "out of my sight that sword, which dazzles and pains me; it has only "too well done its duty, while the sceptre is abandoned :" Make Peace, can't you !30-What curious reading for a King in such posture, among the miscellaneous arrivals overnight! Above six weeks before either of these Notes, Friedrich, hearing of him from Lord Marischal, had answered: "An asylum? Yes, by all means: the unlucky cynic!" It is on September 1st, that he sends, by the same channel, 100 crowns for his use, with advice to "give them in natura, lest he refuse otherwise;" as Friedrich knows to be possible. In words, the Rousseau Notes got nothing of Answer. "A garçon singulier," says Friedrich : odd fellow, yes indeed, your Majesty;-and has such a pungency of flattery in him too, presented in the way of snarl! His Majesty might take him, I suppose, with a kind of relish, like Queen-Dowager snuff.

There was still another shift of place, shift which proved temporary, in old Marischal's life: Home to native Aberdeenshire. The two childless Brothers, Earls of Kintore, had died successively, the last of them November 22d, 1761: title and heritage, not considerable the latter, fell duly, by what preparatives we know, to old Marischal; but his Keith kinsfolk, furthermore, would have him personally among them, —nay, after that, would have him to wed and produce new Keiths. At the age of 78; decidedly an inconvenient thing! Old Marischal left Potsdam August 1763,231‚'31_New-Palace scaffoldings and big stone blocks conspicuous in those localities; pleasant D'Alembert now just about leaving in the other direction;-much to Friedrich's regret, the old Marischal especially, as is still finely evident.

Friedrich to Lord Marischal (in Scotland for the last six

months).

"Sans-Souci, 16th February 1764. "I am not surprised that the Scotch fight to have you among "them; and wish to have progeny of yours, and to preserve your "bones. You have in your lifetime the lot of Homer after death: "Cities arguing which is your birthplace;—I myself would dispute it "with Edinburgh to possess you. If I had ships, I would make a de"scent on Scotland, to steal off my cher Mylord, and bring him hither. "Alas, our Elbe Boats can't do it. But you give me hopes;-which I "seize with avidity! I was your late Brother's friend, and had obli"gations to him; I am yours with heart and soul. These are my

30 Euvres complètes de Rousseau (à Genève, 1782-1789), xxxiii. 64, 65.

31 Letter of his to the King (Londres, 14 Août 1763'), in Euvres de Frédéric, XX. 293.-In Letters of Eminent Persons to David Hume (Edinburgh, 1849), pp. 57-71, are some Nine from the Old Marischal; in curiously mixed dialect, cheerful, but indistinct; the two chief dates of which are: "Touch' (guttural Tuch, in Aberdeenshire), 28 October 1763,' and 'Potsdam, 20 February 1765.'

1766.

"titles, these are my rights:-you sha'n't be forced in the matter of progeny here (faire l'étalon ici), neither priests nor attorneys shall "meddle with you; you shall live here in the bosom of friendship, liberty and philosophy." Come to me! * *_F.32

Old Marischal did come; and before long. I know not the precise month but 'his Villa-Cottage was built for him,' the Books say, 'in 1764.' He had left D'Alembert just going; next year he will find Helvetius coming. He lived here, a great treasure to Friedrich, till his death, 25th May 1778, age 92.

The New Palace was not finished till 1770;--in which year, also, Friedrich reckons that the general Problem of Repairing Prussia was victoriously over. New Palace, growing

or complete, looks down on all these operations and occurrences. In its cradle, it sees D'Alembert go, Lord Marischal go; Helvetius come, Lord Marischal come; in its boyhood or maturity, the Excise, and French Rats-de-Cave, spring up; Crown-Prince Friedrich Wilhelm prick his hand for a fit kind of ink; Friedrich Wilhelm's Divorced Wife give her Douanier two slaps in the face, by way of payment. Nay, the same Friedrich Wilhelm, become 'Friedrich Wilhelm II., or der Dicke," died in it,—his Lichtenau and his second Wife, jewel of women, nursing him in his last sickness there.33

The violent stress of effort for repairing Prussia, Friedrich intimates, was mostly over in 1766: till which date specifically, and in a looser sense till 1770, that may be considered as his main business. But it was not at any time his sole business; nor latterly at all equal in interest to some others that had risen on him, as the next Chapter will now show. Here, first, is a little Fraction of Necrology, which may be worth taking with us. Readers can spread these fateful specialities over the Period in question; and know that each of them came with a kind of knell upon Friedrich's heart, whatever he might be employed about. Hour striking after hour on the Horologe of Time; intimating how the Afternoon wore, and that Night was coming. Various meanings there would be to Friedrich in these footfalls of departing guests, the dear, the less dear, and the indifferent or hostile; but each of them would mean: "Gone, then, gone; thus we all go !"

32 Euvres de Frédéric, xx. 295.

33 Died 16th November 1797.'

Of Polish Majesty's death (5th October 1763), and then (2d December following) of his Kurprinz or Successor's, with whom we dined at Moritzburg so recently, there will be mention by and by. November 28th, 1763, in the interval between these two, the wretched Brühl had died. April 14th, 1764, died the wretched Pompadour;—“ To us not known, Je ne la connais pas :”—hapless Butterfly, she had been twenty years in the winged condition; age now forty-four: dull Louis, they say, looked out of window as her hearse departed, "froidement," without emotion of any visible kind. These little concern Friedrich or us; we will restrict ourselves to Friends.

'Died in 1764. At Pisa, Algarotti (23d May 1764, age fifty-two); ' with whom Friedrich has always had some correspondence hitherto (to himself interesting, though not to us), and will never henceforth 'have more. Friedrich raised a Monument to him; Monument still 'to be seen in the Campo-Santo of Pisa: "Hic jacet Ovidii æmulus et 'Neutoni discipulus;" friends have added "Fredericus Magnus poni fecit;" and on another part of the Monument, Algarottus non

'omnis."34

-in 1765. At the age of eighty, November 18th, Gräfin Camas, "Ma bonne Maman" (widow since 1741); excellent old Lady,— once brilliantly young, German by birth, her name Brandt ;-to whom 'the King's Letters used to be so pretty.' This same year, too, Kaiser Franz died; but him we will reserve, as not belonging to this Select List.

in 1766. At Nanci, 23d February, age eighty-six, King Stanis ́laus Leczinsky: "his clothes caught fire" (accidental spark or sput'ter on some damask dressing-gown or the like); and the much-enduring innocent old soul ended painfully his Titular career.

in 1767. October 22d, the Grand-Duchess of Sachsen-Gotha, age fifty-seven; a sad stroke this also, among one's narrowing List ' of Friends.—I doubt if Friedrich ever saw this high Lady after the 'Visit we lately witnessed. His Letters to her are still in the Archives ' of Gotha: not hers to him; all lost, these latter, but an accidental Two, which are still beautiful in their kind. 35

Had

- in 1770. Bielfeld, the fantastic individual of old days. long been out of Friedrich's circle,—in Altenburg Country, I think; '—without importance to Friedrich or us: the year of him will do, 'without search for day or month.

in 1771. Two heavy deaths come this year. January 28th, 1771, at Berlin, dies our valuable old friend Excellency Mitchell,'still here on the part of England, in cordial esteem as a man and companion; though as Minister, I suppose, with function more and more imaginary. This painfully ushers-in the year. To usher it out, 'there is still worse: faithful D'Argens dies, 26th December 1771, on 31 Preuss, iv. 188.

35 Given in Œuvres de Frédéric, xviii. 165, 256.

1763-69.

a visit in his native Provence,-leaving, as is still visible, a big and 'sad blank behind him at Potsdam.' But we need not continue; at least not at present.

Long before all these, Friedrich had lost friends; with a sad but quiet emotion he often alludes to this tragic fact, that all the souls he loved most are gone. His Winterfelds, his Keiths, many loved faces, the War has snatched: at Montbijou, at Baireuth, it was not War; but they too are gone. Is the world becoming all a Mausoleum, then; nothing of divine in it but the Tombs of vanished loved ones? Friedrich makes no noise on such subjects: loved and unloved alike must go.

We have still to mark Kaiser Franz's sudden death; a thing politically interesting, if not otherwise. August 1765, at Innspruck, during the Marriage-festivities of his Second Son, Leopold (Duke of Florence, who afterwards, on Joseph's death, was Kaiser),—Kaiser Franz, sauntering about in the evening gala, 18th August, about 9 P. M.,' suddenly tottered, staggered as falling; fell into Son Joseph's arms; and was dead. Above a year before, this same Joseph, his Eldest Son, had been made King of the Romans: elected 26th March; crowned 3d April 1764;'-Friedrich furthering it, wishful to be friendly with his late enemies.37

On this Innspruck Tragedy, Joseph naturally became Kaiser,Part-Kaiser; his Dowager-Mother, on whom alone it depends, having decided that way. The poor Lady was at first quite overwhelmed with her grief. She had the death-room of her Husband made into a Chapel; she founded furthermore a Monastery in Innspruck, 'Twelve Canonesses to pray there for the repose of Franz;' was herself about to become Abbess there, and quit the secular world; but in the end was got persuaded to continue, and take Son Joseph as Coadjutor, 38 In which capacity we shall meet the young man again.

CHAPTER III.

TROUBLES IN POLAND.

APRIL 11th, 1764, one year after his Seven-Years labour of Hercules, Friedrich made Treaty of Alliance with the new Czarina Catharine. England had deserted him; France was his enemy, especially Pompadour and Choiseul, and refused reconcilement, though privately solicited: he was without an Ally anywhere. The Russians had done him frightful damage in the last War, and were most of all to be dreaded in the case of any new one. The Treaty was a matter of necessity as well

36 Friedrich's two Letters to the Widow (Euvres de Frédéric, xix. 427-489). 37 Rödenbeck, ii. 234..

38 Hormayr, Esterreichischer Plutarch (§ Maria Theresa), iv. (2tes Bändchen) 6-124; Maria Theresiens Leben, p. 30.

1763-69. as choice. Agreement for mutual good neighbourhood and friendly offices; guarantee of each other against intrusive third parties: should either get engaged in war with any neighbour, practical aid to the length of 12,000 men, or else money in lieu. Treaty was for eight years from day of date.

As Friedrich did not get into war, and Catharine did, with the Turks and certain loose Polacks, the burden of fulfilment happened to fall wholly on Friedrich; and he was extremely punctual in performance,-eager now, and all his life after, to keep well with such a Country under such a Czarina. Which proved to be the whole rule of his policy on that Russian side. "Good that Country cannot bring me by any quarrel with it; evil it can, to a frightful extent, in case of my quarrelling with others! Be wary, be punctual, magnanimously polite, with that grandiose Czarina and her huge territories and notions :" this was Friedrich's constant rule in public and in private. Nor is it thought his Correspondence with the Empress Catharine, when future generations see it in print, will disclose the least ground of offence to that high-flying Female Potentate of the North. Nor will it ever be known what the silently observant Friedrich thought of her, except indeed what we already know, or as good as know, That he, if anybody did, saw her clearly enough for what she was; and found good to repress into absolute zero whatever had no bearing upon business, and might by possibility give offence in that quarter. For we are an old King, and have learned by bitter experiences! No more nicknames, biting verses, or words which a bird of the air could carry; though this poor Lady too has her liabilities, were not we old and prudent;—and is entirely as weak on certain points (deducting the devotions and the brandy-and-water) as some others were! The Treaty was renewed when necessary; and continued valid and vital in every particular, so long as Friedrich ruled.

By the end of the first eight years, by strictly following this passive rule, Friedrich, in counterbalance of his losses, unexpectedly found himself invested with a very singular bit of gain,- -"unjust gain!" cried all men, making it of the nature of gain and loss to him,—which is still practically his, and which has made, and makes to this day, an immense noise in the world. Everybody knows we mean West-Preussen; Partition of Poland; bloodiest picture in the Book of Time, Sar