June-Sept., 1740.

mitted Katte to interviews," or we forget what; had sat his "year in Spandau" in consequence; been dismissed the Prussian service, and had taken service with the Dutch. Lieutenant Spaen either did not return at all, or disliked the aspects when he did, and immediately withdrew to Holland again, which probably was wise of him. At a late period, King Friedrich, then a great King, on one of his Cleve Journeys, fell in with Spaen, who had become a Dutch General of rank, and was of good manners and style of conversation: King Friedrich was charmed to see him; became his guest for the night; conversed delightfully with him about old Prussian matters and about new, and in the colloquy never once alluded to that interesting passage in his young life and Spaen's.21 Hard as polished steel! thinks Spaen perhaps; but, if candid, must ask himself withal, Are facts any softer, or the Laws of Kingship to a man that holds it? Keith silently did his Lieutenant Colonelcy with the appendages while life lasted: of the Page Keith, his Brother, who indeed had blabbed upon the Prince, as we remember, and was not entitled to be clamorous, I never heard that there was any notice taken, and figure him to myself as walking with shouldered firelock, a private Fusileer, all his life afterward, with many reflections on things by-gone.22

Old friendship, it would seem, is without weight in public appointments here: old friends are somewhat astonished to find this friend of theirs a King every inch! To old comrades, if they were useless, much more if they were worse than useless, how disappointing! "One wretched Herr" (name suppressed, but known at the time, and talked of, and whispered of), "who had, like several others, hoping to rise that way, been industrious in encouraging the Crown-Prince's vices as to women, was so shocked at the return he now met, that in despair he hanged himself in Löbejün" (Löbegun, Magdeburg Country): here is a case for the humane !23

2: Nicolai: Anekdoten, vi., 178.

2 These and the other Prussian Keiths are all of Scotch extraction; the Prussians, in natural German fashion, pronounce their name Kah-it (English “Kite," with nothing of the y in it), as may be worth remembering in a more important instance.

:3 Küster: Characterzüge des &c. von Saldern (Berlin, 1793), p. 63.

June-Sept., 1740. Friend Keyserling himself, "Cæsarion" that used to be, can get nothing, though we love him much, being an idle topsyturvy fellow with revenues of his own. Jordan, with his fine-drawn wit, French logics, Literary Travels, thin exactitude what can

be done for Jordan? Him also his new Majesty loves much; and knows that, without some official living, poor Jordan has no resource. Jordan, after some waiting and survey, is made “Inspector of the Poor;" busy this Autumn looking out for vacant houses, and arrangements for the thousand spinning-women ; continues to be employed in mixed literary services (hunting up of Formey, for Editor, was one instance), and to be in much real intimacy. That also was perhaps about the real amount of amiable Jordan. To get Jordan a living by planting him in some office which he could not do; to warm Jordan by burning our royal bed for him, that had not entered into the mind of Jordan's royal friend. The Münchows he did promote; the Finks, sons of his Tutor Finkenstein-to these and other old comrades, in whom he had discovered fitness, it is no doubt abundantly grateful to him to recognize and employ it, as he notably does in these and in other instances. But before all things he has decided to remember that he is King; that he must accept the severe laws of that trust, and do it, or not have done any thing.

An inverse sign, pointing in the same way, is the passionate search he is making in Foreign Countries for such men as will suit him. In these same months, for example, he bethinks him of two Counts Schmettau, in the Austrian Service, with whom he had made acquaintance in the Rhine Campaign; of a Count Von Rothenburg, whom he saw in the French Camp there; and is negotiating to have them, if possible. The Schmettaus are Prussian by birth, though in Austrian Service; them he obtains under form of an Order home, with good conditions under it; they came, and proved useful men to him. Rothenburg, a shining kind of figure in Diplomacy as well as Soldiership, was Alsatian German, foreign to Prussia; but him too Friedrich obtained, and made much of, as will be seen by-and-by. And, in fact, the soul of all these noble tendencies in Friedrich, which surely are considerable, is even this, That he loves men of merit, and does not love men of none; that he has an endless appetite

June-Sept., 1740.

for men of merit, and feels, consciously and otherwise, that they are the one thing beautiful, the one thing needful to him.

This, which is the product of all fine tendencies, is likewise their centre or focus out of which they start again, with some chance of fulfillment; and we may judge in how many directions Friedrich was willing to expand himself by the multifarious kinds he was inviting and negotiating for. Academicians-and not Maupertuis only, but all manner of mathematical geniuses (Euler whom he got, 's Gravesande, Muschenbroek whom he failed of); and Literary geniuses innumerable, first and last. Academicians, Musicians, Players, Dancers even; much more Soldiers and Civil-Service men: no man that carries any honest "Can do" about with him but may expect some welcome here, which continued through Friedrich's reign, and involved him in much petty trouble, not always successful in the lower kinds of it. For his Court was the cynosure of ambitious creatures on the wing, or inclined for taking wing, like a lantern kindled in the darkness of the world; and many owls impinged upon him, whom he had to dismiss with brevity.

Perhaps it had been better to stand by mere Prussian or German merit, native to the ground? Or, rather, undoubtedly it had! In some departments, as in the military, the administrative, diplomatic, Friedrich was himself among the best of judges; but in various others he had mainly (mainly, by no means blindly or solely) to accept noise of reputation as evidence of merit; and in these, if we compute with rigor, his success was intrinsically not considerable. The more honor to him that he never wearied of trying. "A man that does not care for merit," says the adage, “can not himself have any." But a King that does not care for merit, what shall we say of such a King!

Behavior to his Mother-to his Wife.

One other fine feature, significant of many, let us notice-his affection for his Mother. When his Mother addressed him as "Your Majesty," he answered, as the Books are careful to tell us, "Call me Son; that is the Title of all others most agreeable to me!" words which, there can be no doubt, came from the heart. Fain would he shoot forth to greatness in filial piety as

June-Sept., 1740. otherwise; fain solace himself in doing something kind to his Mother; generously, lovingly, though again with clear view of the limits. He decrees for her a Title higher than had been customary, as well as more accordant with his feelings; not "Queen Dowager," but "Her Majesty the Queen Mother." He decides to build her a new Palace; "under the Lindens” it is to be, and of due magnificence: in a month or two he had even got bits of the foundation dug, and the Houses to be pulled down bought or bargained for, 24 which enterprise, however, was renounced, no doubt with consent, as the public aspects darkened. Nothing in the way of honor, in the way of real affection heartily felt and demonstrated, was wanting to Queen Sophie in her widowhood. But, on the other hand, of public influence no vestige was allowed, if any was ever claimed; and the good kind Mother lived in her Monbijou, the centre and summit of Berlin society, and restricted herself wisely to private matters. She has her domesticities, family affections, readings, speculations; gives evening parties at Monbijou. One glimpse of her in 1742 we get, that of a perfectly private royal Lady, which, though it has little meaning, yet as it is authentic, coming from Büsching's hand, may serve as one little twinkle in that total darkness, and shall be left to the reader and his fancy :

A Count Henkel, a Thüringian gentleman, of high speculation, high pietistic ways, extremely devout, and given even to writing of religion, came to Berlin about some Silesian properties—a man, I should think, of lofty melancholic aspect; and, in severe type, somewhat of a lion, on account of his Book called "Death-bed Scenes in four Volumes." Came to Berlin; and on the 15th August, 1742, toward evening (as the ever-punctual Büsching, looking into Henkel's Papers, gives it)," was presented to the Queen Mother, who retained him to supper; supper not beginning till about ten o'clock. The Queen Mother was extremely gracious to Henkel, but investigated him a good deal, and put a great many questions,” not quite easy to answer in that circle, "as, Why he did not play? What he thought of comedies and operas? What Preachers he was acquainted with in Berlin? Whether he too was a Writer of Books?" (covertly alluding to the Death-bed Scenes, notes Büsching), “ and abundance of other questioning. She also recounted

24 Rödenbeck, p. 15 (30th June-23d August, 1740); and correct Stenzel (iv., 44).

June-Sept., 1740.

many fantastic anecdotes (viel Abenteuerliches) about Count von Zinzendorf" (Founder of Herrnhuth, far-shining spiritual Paladin of that day, whom her Majesty thinks rather a spiritual Quixote); “and declared that they were strictly true."25 Upon which, exit Henkel, borne by Büsching, and our light is snuffed out.

This is one momentary glance I have met with of Queen Sophie in her Dowager state. The rest, though there were seventeen years of it in all, is silent to mankind and me; and only her death, and her Son's great grief about it, so great as to be surprising, is mentioned in the Books.

Actual painful sorrow about his Father, much more any new outburst of weeping and lamenting, is not on record after that first morning. Time does its work, and in such a whirl of occupations sooner than elsewhere; and the loved Dead lie silent in their mausoleum in our hearts-serenely sad as Eternity, not in loud sorrow as of Time. Friedrich was pious as a Son, however he might be on other heads. To the last years of his life, as from the first days of his reign, it was evident in what honor he held Friedrich Wilhelm's memory; and the words "my Father," when they turned up in discourse, had in that fine voice of his a tone which the observers noted. "To his Mother he failed no day, when in Berlin, however busy, to make his visit, and he never spoke to her except hat in hand."

With his own Queen Friedrich still consorts a good deal in these first times; is with her at Charlottenberg, Berlin, Potsdam, Reinsberg, for a day or two, as occasion gives; sometimes at Reinsberg for weeks running, in the intervals of war and business, glad to be at rest amid his old pursuits, by the side of a kind, innocent being familiar to him. So it lasts for a length of time. But these happy intervals, we can remark, grow rarer: whether the Lady's humor, as they became rarer, might not sink. withal, and produce an acceleration in the rate of decline? She was thought to be capable of "pouting (faire la fachée)" at one period! We are left to our guesses; there is not any where the smallest whisper to guide us. Deep silence reigns in all Prussian Books. To feel or to suspect yourself neglected, and to become more amiable thereupon (in which course alone lies 25 Büsching's Beyträge, iv., 27.