18th-23d Jan., 1741.

"Wednesday, 18th. This day two provocations happened. First, in the morning, by his Majesty's order, Colonel Borck (the same we saw at Herstal) had gone with a Trumpeter toward Roth, intending to inform Roth how mild the terms would be, how terrible the penalty of not accepting them. But Roth or Roth's people singularly disregard Borck and his Parley Trumpet; answer its blasts by musketry; fire upon it, nay, again fire worse when it advances a step farther; on these terms Borck and Trumpet had to return, which much angered his Majesty at Ottmachau that evening, as was natural. Same evening, our fine quarters in the Karlau crackled up in flame, the Bishop's winter firewood all along with it: this was provocation second. Roth had taken order with the Karlau, and got a resolute Butcher to do the feat, under pretext of bringing us beef. It is piercing cold; only blackened walls for us now in the Karlau or elsewhere. His Majesty, naturally much angered, orders for the morrow a dose of bombshells and red-hot balls. Plant a few mortars on the North side, too, orders his Majesty.

“Thursday, 19th. Accordingly, by 8 of the clock, cannon batteries reawaken with a mighty noise, and red-hot balls are noticeable; and at 10 the actual bombarding bursts out, terrible to hear and see; first shell falling in Haubitz the Clothier's shop, but being happily got under. Roth has his City Militia Companies organized with water-hoses for quenching of the red-hot balls, in which they became expert; so that, though the fire caught many houses, they always put it out. Late in the night, hearing no word from Roth, the Prussians went to bed.

Friday, 20th. Still no word; on which, about 4 P.M., the Prussian batteries awaken again; volcanic torrent of red-hot shot and shells for seven hours; still no word from Roth. About 11 at night, his Majesty again sends a Drum (Parley Trumpet or whatever it is) to the Gate; formally summons Roth; asks him if he has well considered what this can lead to? especially what he, Roth, meant by firing on our first Trumpet on Wednesday last?' Roth aswered, 'That as to the Trumpet, he had not heard of it before. On the other hand, that this mode of sieging by red-hot balls seems a little unusual; for the rest, that he has himself no order or intention but that of resisting to the last.' Some say the Drum hereupon by order talked of' pounding Neisse into powder, mere child's play hitherto;' to which Roth answered only by respectful dumb-show.

"Saturday, 21st-Monday, 23d. Midnight of Friday-Saturday, on this answer coming, the fire volcanoes open again, nine hours long; shells and red-hot material in terrible abundance, which hit mostly the Churches, Jesuits' Seminariums and Collegiums, but produced no change in Roth. From 9 A.M. the batteries are silent. Silent still next morning: Divine Service may proceed if it like. But at 4 of the after

25th Jan., 1741.

noon the batteries awaken worse than ever; from seven to nine bombs going at once. Universal rage of noise and horrid glare, making night hideous, till 10 of the clock, Roth continuing inflexible. This is the last night of the Siege."

Friedrich perceived that Roth would not yield; that the utter smashing down of Neisse might more concern Friedrich than Roth; that, in fine, it would be better to desist till the weather altered. Next day, "Monday, 23d, between noon and 1 o'clock," the Prussians drew back; converted the siege into a blockade. Neisse to be masked like Brieg and Glogau (Brieg only half done yet, Jeetz without cannon till to-morrow, 24th, and little Namslau still gesticulating); "the only thing one could try upon it was bombardment. A Nest of Priests (Pfaffen-Nest); not many troops in it; but it can not well be forced at present. If spring were here, it will cost a fortnight's work.”2

A noisy business; "King's high person much exposed; a bombardier and then a sergeant were killed close by him, though in all he lost only five men.

"3

Browne vanishes in a slight Flash of Fire.

Browne all this while has hung on the Mountain-side, witnessing these things; sending stores toward Glatz southwestward, and "running the ways" behind them; waiting what would become of Neisse. Neisse done, Schwerin is upon him; Browne makes off Southeastward, across the Mountains, for Moravia and home, Schwerin following hard. At a little place called Grätz,1 on the Moravian border, Browne faced round, tried to defend the Bridge of the Oppa, sharply though without effect, and there came (January 25th) a hot sputter between them for a few min

2 Friedrich to the Old Dessauer: Fraction of Letter (Ottmachau, 16th21st January, 1741) cited by Orlich, i., 51, from the Dessau Archives, where Herr Orlich has industriously been. To all but strictly military people, these pieces of Letters are the valuable feature of Orlich's Book; and a general reader laments that it does not all consist of such, properly elucidated and labeled into accessibility. 3 Helden-Geschichte, i., 680-690.

The name, in old Slavic speech, signifies Town; and there are many Grätzes: Königingrätz (Queen's, which for brevity is now generally called Königsgrätz, in Bohemia); Grätz in Styria; Windischgrätz (Wendishtown), &c.

25th Jan., 1741. utes, after which Browne vanished into the interior, and we hear, in these parts, comparatively little more of him during this War. Friend and foe must admit that he has neglected nothing, and fairly made the best of a bad business here. He is but an interim General, too; his Successor just coming; and the Vienna Board of War is frequently troublesome, to whose windy speculations Browne replies with sagacious skepticism, and here and there a touch of veiled sarcasm, which was not likely to conciliate in high places. Had her Hungarian Majesty been able to retain Browne in his post, instead of poor Neipperg who was sent instead, there might have been a considerably different account to give of the sequel. But Neipperg was Tutor (War-Tutor) to the Grand-Duke; Browne is still of young standing (age only thirtyfive), with a touch of veiled sarcasm; and things must go their

course.

In Schlesien, Schwerin is now to command in chief, the King going off to Berlin for a little, naturally with plenty of errand there. The Prussian Troops go into Winter-quarters; spread themselves wide; beset the good points, especially the Passes of the Hills, from Jägerndorf eastward to the Jablunka leading toward Hungary; nay, they can, and before long do, spread into the Moravian Territories on the other side, and levy contributions, the Queen proving unreasonable.

It was Monday, 23d, when the Siege of Neisse was abandoned; on Wednesday, Friedrich himself turns homeward; looks into Schweidnitz, looks into Liegnitz, and arrives at Berlin as the week ends, much acclamation greeting him from the multitude. Except those Three masked Fortresses, capable of no defense to speak of, were Winter over, Silesia is now all Friedrich's-has fallen wholly to him in the space of about Seven Weeks. seizure has been easy; but the retaining of it, perhaps he himself begins to see more clearly, will have difficulties! From this point, the talk about gloire nearly ceases in his Correspondence. In those seven weeks he has, with gloire or otherwise, cut out for himself such a life of labor as no man of his Century had.

The

Jan., 1741.

CHAPTER VII.

AT VERSAILLES, THE MOST CHRISTIAN MAJESTY CHANGES HIS SHIRT, AND BELLEISLE IS SEEN WITH PAPERS.

WHILE Friedrich was so busy in Silesia, the world was not asleep around him; the world never is, though it often seems to be, round a man and what action he does in it. That Sunday morning, First Day of the Year 1741, in those same hours while Friedrich, with energy, with caution, was edging himself into Breslau, there went on in the Court of Versailles an interior Phenomenon, of which, having by chance got access to it face to face, we propose to make the reader participant before going farther.

Readers are languidly aware that phenomena do go on round their Friedrich; that their busy Friedrich, with his few Voltaires and renowned persons, are not the only population of their Century, by any means. Every body is aware of that fact; yet, in practice, almost every body is as good as not aware; and the World all round one's Hero is a darkness, a dormant vacancy. How strange when, as here, some waste Paper-spill (so to speak) turns up, which you can kindle, and, by the brief flame of it, bid a reader look with his own eyes! From Herr Doctor Büsching, who did the Geography and about a Hundred other Books-a man of great worth, almost of genius, could he have elaborated his Hundred Books into Ten (or distilled into flasks of aquavitæ what otherwise lies tumbling as tanks of mash and wort, now run very sour and malodorous)—it is from Herr Büsching that we gain the following rough Piece, illuminative if one can kindle it:

The Titular-Herr Baron Anton von Geusau, a gentleman of good parts, scholastic by profession, and of Protestant creed, was accompanying as Traveling Tutor, in those years, a young Graf von Reuss. Graf von Reuss is one of those indistinct Counts Reuss who always call themselves" Henry ;" and, being now at the eightieth and farther, with uncountable collateral Henrys intertwisted, are become in effect

Jan., 1741.

anonymous, or of nomenclature inscrutable to mankind. Nor is the young one otherwise of the least interest to us, except that Herr Anton, the Traveling Tutor, punctually kept a Journal of every thing, which Journal, long afterward, came into the hands of Büsching, also a punctual man, and was by him abridged and set forth in print as his Beyträge, offering at present a singular daguerreotype glimpse of the then actual world, wherever Graf von Reuss and his Geusau happened to be. Nine tenths of it, even in Büsching's Abridgment, are now fallen useless and wearisome; but to one studying the days that then were, even the effete commonplace of it occasionally becomes alive again. And how interesting to catch, here and there, a Historical Figure on these conditions; Historical Figure's very self, in his work-day attitude; eating his victuals; writing, receiving letters, talking to his fellow-creatures; unaware that Posterity, miraculously, through some chink of the Traveling Tutor's producing, has got its eye upon him!

66

Sunday, 1st January, 1741, Geusau and his young Gentleman leave Paris at 5 in the morning, and drive out to Versailles, intending to see the ceremonies of New-Year's day there. Very wet weather it had been all Wednesday, and for days before; but on this Sunday, NewYear's morning, all is ice and glass; and they slid about painfully by lamplight, with unroughened horses, and on the Hilly or Meudon road, having chosen that as fittest, the waters being out, not arriving at Court tili 9, nor finding very much to comfort them, except on the side of curiosity, when there. Ushers, Introducteurs, Cabinet Secretaries, were indeed assiduous to oblige; and the King's Levee will be; but if you follow it to the Chapel Royal to witness high mass, you must kneel at elevation of the host; and this, as reformed Christians, Reuss and his Tutor can not undertake to do. They accept a dinner invitation (12 the hour) from some good Samaritan of Quality, and for sights, will content themselves with the King's Levee itself, and generally with what the King's Antechamber and the Eil-de-Bœuf can exhibit to them. The Most Christian King's Levee" (Lever, literally here his Getting out of Bed) "is a daily miracle of these localities, only grander on New-Year's day; and it is to the following effect:

"Till Majesty please to awaken, you saunter in the Salle des Embassadeurs, whole crowds jostling one another there, gossiping together in a diligent, insipid manner;" gossip all reported, snatches of which have acquired a certain flavor by long keeping-which the reader shall imagine. "Meanwhile you keep your eye on the Grate of the Inner

1 See in Barbier (ii., 283, et seqq.) what terrible Noah-like weather it had been; big houses, long in soak, tumbling down at last into the Seine; châsse of St. Geneviève brought out (two days ago), December 30th, to try it by miracle; &c., &c.