History of Friedrich II of Prussia V 11 [31]
names on
the King's tablets I never heard mentioned by anybody (or never
till the King's Doggerel was fished up again). Field-Marshal
Broglio my readers have transiently seen, afar off;--"galloping
with only one boot," some say "almost in his shirt," at the Ford
of Secchia, in those Italian campaigns, five years ago, the
Austrians having stolen across upon him:--he had a furious gallop,
with no end of ridicule, on that occasion; is now Commandant here;
and we shall have a great deal more to do with him within the next
year or two.
"This same day, 24th, while I [the Newspaper volunteer Reporter or
Own Correspondent, seemingly a person of some standing, whose
words carry credibility in the tone of them] was with Field-
Marshal Broglio our Governor here, there came two gentlemen to be
presented to him; 'German Cavaliers' they were called; who, I now
find, must have been the Prince of Prussia and Algarotti.
The Field-Marshal,"--a rather high-stalking white-headed old
military gentleman, bordering on seventy, of Piedmontese air and
breed, apt to be sudden and make flounderings, but the soul of
honor, "was very polite to the two Cavaliers, and kept them to
dinner. After dinner there came a so-styled 'Silesian Nobleman,'
who likewise was presented to the Field-Marshal, and affected not
to know the other two: him I now find to have been the Prince
of Anhalt."
Of his Majesty's supper with the Officers that Wednesday, we are
left to think how brilliant it was: his Majesty, we hear farther,
went to the Opera that night,--the Polichinello or whatever the
"Italian COMODIE" was;--"and a little girl came to his box with
two lottery-tickets fifteen pence each, begging the foreign
Gentleman for the love of Heaven to buy them of her; which he did,
tearing them up at once, and giving the poor creature four
ducats," equivalent to two guineas, or say in effect even five
pounds of the present British currency. The fame of this foreign
Count and his party at The Raven is becoming very loud over
Strasburg, especially in military circles. Our volunteer Own
Correspondent proceeds (whom we mean to contrast with the Royal
Doggerel by and by):--
"Next morning," Thursday, 25th August, "as the Marshal with above
two hundred Officers was out walking on the Esplanade, there came
a soldier of the Regiment Luxemburg, who, after some stiff fugling
motions, of the nature of salutation partly, and partly demand for
privacy, intimated to the Marshal surprising news: That the
Stranger in The Raven was the King of Prussia in person; he, the
soldier, at present of the Regiment Luxemburg, had in other days,
before he deserted, been of the Prussian Crown-Prince's regiment;
had consequently seen him in Berlin, Potsdam and elsewhere a
thousand times and more, and even stood sentry where he was:
the fact is beyond dispute, your Excellency! said this
soldier."--Whew!
Whereupon a certain Colonel, Marquis de Loigle, with or without a
hint from Broglio, makes off for The Raven; introduces himself, as
was easy; contrives to get invited to stay dinner, which also was
easy. During dinner the foreign Gentleman expressed some wish to
see their fortress. Colonel Loigle sends word to Broglio;
Broglio despatches straightway an Officer and fine carriage:
"Will the foreign Gentleman do me the honor?" The foreign
Gentleman, still struggling for incognito, declines the uppermost
seat of honor in the carriage; the two Officers, Loigle and this
new one, insist on taking the inferior place. Alas, the incognito
is pretty much out. Calling at some coffee-house or the like on
the road, a certain female, "Madame de Fienne," named the foreign
Gentleman "Sire,"--which so startled him that, though he utterly
declined such title, the two Officers saw well how it was.
"After survey of the works, the two attendant Officers had
returned to the Field-Marshal; and about 4 P.M. the high Stranger
made appearance there. But the thing had now got wind, 'King of
Prussia here incognito!' The place was full of Officers, who came
the King's tablets I never heard mentioned by anybody (or never
till the King's Doggerel was fished up again). Field-Marshal
Broglio my readers have transiently seen, afar off;--"galloping
with only one boot," some say "almost in his shirt," at the Ford
of Secchia, in those Italian campaigns, five years ago, the
Austrians having stolen across upon him:--he had a furious gallop,
with no end of ridicule, on that occasion; is now Commandant here;
and we shall have a great deal more to do with him within the next
year or two.
"This same day, 24th, while I [the Newspaper volunteer Reporter or
Own Correspondent, seemingly a person of some standing, whose
words carry credibility in the tone of them] was with Field-
Marshal Broglio our Governor here, there came two gentlemen to be
presented to him; 'German Cavaliers' they were called; who, I now
find, must have been the Prince of Prussia and Algarotti.
The Field-Marshal,"--a rather high-stalking white-headed old
military gentleman, bordering on seventy, of Piedmontese air and
breed, apt to be sudden and make flounderings, but the soul of
honor, "was very polite to the two Cavaliers, and kept them to
dinner. After dinner there came a so-styled 'Silesian Nobleman,'
who likewise was presented to the Field-Marshal, and affected not
to know the other two: him I now find to have been the Prince
of Anhalt."
Of his Majesty's supper with the Officers that Wednesday, we are
left to think how brilliant it was: his Majesty, we hear farther,
went to the Opera that night,--the Polichinello or whatever the
"Italian COMODIE" was;--"and a little girl came to his box with
two lottery-tickets fifteen pence each, begging the foreign
Gentleman for the love of Heaven to buy them of her; which he did,
tearing them up at once, and giving the poor creature four
ducats," equivalent to two guineas, or say in effect even five
pounds of the present British currency. The fame of this foreign
Count and his party at The Raven is becoming very loud over
Strasburg, especially in military circles. Our volunteer Own
Correspondent proceeds (whom we mean to contrast with the Royal
Doggerel by and by):--
"Next morning," Thursday, 25th August, "as the Marshal with above
two hundred Officers was out walking on the Esplanade, there came
a soldier of the Regiment Luxemburg, who, after some stiff fugling
motions, of the nature of salutation partly, and partly demand for
privacy, intimated to the Marshal surprising news: That the
Stranger in The Raven was the King of Prussia in person; he, the
soldier, at present of the Regiment Luxemburg, had in other days,
before he deserted, been of the Prussian Crown-Prince's regiment;
had consequently seen him in Berlin, Potsdam and elsewhere a
thousand times and more, and even stood sentry where he was:
the fact is beyond dispute, your Excellency! said this
soldier."--Whew!
Whereupon a certain Colonel, Marquis de Loigle, with or without a
hint from Broglio, makes off for The Raven; introduces himself, as
was easy; contrives to get invited to stay dinner, which also was
easy. During dinner the foreign Gentleman expressed some wish to
see their fortress. Colonel Loigle sends word to Broglio;
Broglio despatches straightway an Officer and fine carriage:
"Will the foreign Gentleman do me the honor?" The foreign
Gentleman, still struggling for incognito, declines the uppermost
seat of honor in the carriage; the two Officers, Loigle and this
new one, insist on taking the inferior place. Alas, the incognito
is pretty much out. Calling at some coffee-house or the like on
the road, a certain female, "Madame de Fienne," named the foreign
Gentleman "Sire,"--which so startled him that, though he utterly
declined such title, the two Officers saw well how it was.
"After survey of the works, the two attendant Officers had
returned to the Field-Marshal; and about 4 P.M. the high Stranger
made appearance there. But the thing had now got wind, 'King of
Prussia here incognito!' The place was full of Officers, who came