History of Friedrich II of Prussia V 11 [38]
at them and it? Meseems a heavier whip than
that of satire might be in place here, your Majesty? The lighter
whip is easier;--Ah yes, undoubtedly! cry many men. But horrible
accounts are running up, enough to sink the world at last, while
the heavier whip is lazily withheld, and lazy blasphemy, fallen
torpid, chronic, and quite unconscious of being blasphemous,
insinuates itself into the very heart's-blood of mankind!
Patience, however; the heavy whip too is coming,--unless universal
death be coming. King Friedrich is not the man to wield such whip.
Quite other work is in store for King Friedrich; and Nature will
not, by any suggestion of that terrible task, put him out in the
one he has. He is nothing of a Luther, of a Cromwell; can look
upon fakirs praying by their rotatory calabash, as a ludicrous
platitude; and grin delicately as above, with the approval of his
wiser contemporaries. Speed to him on his own course!
What answer Friedrich found to his English proposals,--answer due
here on the 24th from Captain Dickens,--I do not pointedly learn;
but can judge of it by Harrington's reply to that Despatch of
Dickens's, which entreated candor and open dealing towards his
Prussian Majesty. Harrington is at Herrenhausen, still with the
Britannic Majesty there; both of them much at a loss about their
Spanish War, and the French and other aspects upon it: "Suppose
his Prussian Majesty were to give himself to France against us!"
We will hope, not. Harrington's reply is to the effect, "Hum,
drum:--Berg and Julich, say you? Impossible to answer; minds not
made up here:--What will his Prussian Majesty do for US?"
Not much, I should guess, till something more categorical come
from you! His Prussian Majesty is careful not to spoil anything by
over-haste; but will wait and try farther to the utmost, Whether
England or France is the likelier bargain for him.
Better still, the Prussian Majesty is intent to do something for
himself in that Berg-Julich matter: we find him silently examining
these Wesel localities for a proper "entrenched Camp," Camp say of
40,000, against a certain contingency that may be looked for.
Camp which will much occupy the Gazetteers when they get eye on
it. This is one of the concerns he silently attends to, on
occasion, while riding about in the Cleve Countries. Then there is
another small item of business, important to do well, which is now
in silence diligently getting under way at Wesel; which also is of
remarkable nature, and will astonish the Gazetteer and Diplomatic
circles. This is the affair with the Bishop of Liege, called also
the Affair of Herstal, which his Majesty has had privately laid up
in the corner of his mind, as a thing to be done during this
Excursion. Of which the reader shall hear anon, to great lengths,
--were a certain small preliminary matter, Voltaire's Arrival in
these parts, once off our hands.
Friedrich's First Meeting with Voltaire! These other high things
were once loud in the Gazetteer and Diplomatic circles, and had no
doubt they were the World's History; and now they are sunk wholly
to the Nightmares, and all mortals have forgotten them,--and it is
such a task as seldom was to resuscitate the least memory of them,
on just cause of a Friedrich or the like, so impatient are men of
what is putrid and extinct:--and a quite unnoticed thing,
Voltaire's First Interview, all readers are on the alert for it,
and ready to demand of me impossibilities about it! Patience,
readers. You shall see it, without and within, in such light as
there was, and form some actual notion of it, if you will
co-operate. From the circum-ambient inanity of Old Newspapers,
Historical shot-rubbish, and unintelligible Correspondences, we
sift out the following particulars, of this First Meeting, or
actual Osculation of the Stars.
The Newspapers, though their eyes were not yet of the Argus
quality now familiar to us, have been intent on Friedrich during
this Baireuth-Cleve Journey, especially since that sudden eclipse
of him at Strasburg
that of satire might be in place here, your Majesty? The lighter
whip is easier;--Ah yes, undoubtedly! cry many men. But horrible
accounts are running up, enough to sink the world at last, while
the heavier whip is lazily withheld, and lazy blasphemy, fallen
torpid, chronic, and quite unconscious of being blasphemous,
insinuates itself into the very heart's-blood of mankind!
Patience, however; the heavy whip too is coming,--unless universal
death be coming. King Friedrich is not the man to wield such whip.
Quite other work is in store for King Friedrich; and Nature will
not, by any suggestion of that terrible task, put him out in the
one he has. He is nothing of a Luther, of a Cromwell; can look
upon fakirs praying by their rotatory calabash, as a ludicrous
platitude; and grin delicately as above, with the approval of his
wiser contemporaries. Speed to him on his own course!
What answer Friedrich found to his English proposals,--answer due
here on the 24th from Captain Dickens,--I do not pointedly learn;
but can judge of it by Harrington's reply to that Despatch of
Dickens's, which entreated candor and open dealing towards his
Prussian Majesty. Harrington is at Herrenhausen, still with the
Britannic Majesty there; both of them much at a loss about their
Spanish War, and the French and other aspects upon it: "Suppose
his Prussian Majesty were to give himself to France against us!"
We will hope, not. Harrington's reply is to the effect, "Hum,
drum:--Berg and Julich, say you? Impossible to answer; minds not
made up here:--What will his Prussian Majesty do for US?"
Not much, I should guess, till something more categorical come
from you! His Prussian Majesty is careful not to spoil anything by
over-haste; but will wait and try farther to the utmost, Whether
England or France is the likelier bargain for him.
Better still, the Prussian Majesty is intent to do something for
himself in that Berg-Julich matter: we find him silently examining
these Wesel localities for a proper "entrenched Camp," Camp say of
40,000, against a certain contingency that may be looked for.
Camp which will much occupy the Gazetteers when they get eye on
it. This is one of the concerns he silently attends to, on
occasion, while riding about in the Cleve Countries. Then there is
another small item of business, important to do well, which is now
in silence diligently getting under way at Wesel; which also is of
remarkable nature, and will astonish the Gazetteer and Diplomatic
circles. This is the affair with the Bishop of Liege, called also
the Affair of Herstal, which his Majesty has had privately laid up
in the corner of his mind, as a thing to be done during this
Excursion. Of which the reader shall hear anon, to great lengths,
--were a certain small preliminary matter, Voltaire's Arrival in
these parts, once off our hands.
Friedrich's First Meeting with Voltaire! These other high things
were once loud in the Gazetteer and Diplomatic circles, and had no
doubt they were the World's History; and now they are sunk wholly
to the Nightmares, and all mortals have forgotten them,--and it is
such a task as seldom was to resuscitate the least memory of them,
on just cause of a Friedrich or the like, so impatient are men of
what is putrid and extinct:--and a quite unnoticed thing,
Voltaire's First Interview, all readers are on the alert for it,
and ready to demand of me impossibilities about it! Patience,
readers. You shall see it, without and within, in such light as
there was, and form some actual notion of it, if you will
co-operate. From the circum-ambient inanity of Old Newspapers,
Historical shot-rubbish, and unintelligible Correspondences, we
sift out the following particulars, of this First Meeting, or
actual Osculation of the Stars.
The Newspapers, though their eyes were not yet of the Argus
quality now familiar to us, have been intent on Friedrich during
this Baireuth-Cleve Journey, especially since that sudden eclipse
of him at Strasburg