History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 03 — John Shaqi
History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 03Carlyle, Thomas
History
History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 03
Carlyle, Thomas
Frederick II, King of Prussia, 1712-1786; Prussia (Germany) -- History -- Frederick II, 1740-1786; Social problems
"Who wrote that Pamphlet I know not, and am in no condition to guess.
A certain snappish vivacity (very unlike the style of Frederick whom it
personates); a wearisome grimacing, gesticulating malice and smartness,
approaching or reaching the sad dignity of what is called 'wit' in
modern times; in general the rottenness of matter, and the epigrammatic
unquiet graciosity of manner in this thing, and its elaborately INhuman
turn both of expression and of thought, are visible characteristics
of it. Thought, we said,--if thought it can be called: thought all
hamstrung, shrivelled by inveterate rheumatism, on the part of the poor
ill-thriven thinker; nay tied (so to speak, for he is of epigrammatic
turn withal), as by cross ropes, right shoulder to left foot; and forced
to advance, hobbling and jerking along, in that sad guise: not in the
way of walk, but of saltation and dance; and this towards a false not
a true aim, rather no-whither than some-whither:--Here were features
leading one to think of an illustrious Prince de Ligne as perhaps
concerned in the affair. The Bibliographical Dictionaries, producing no
evidence, name quite another person, or series of persons, [A certain
'N. de Bonneville' (afterwards a Revolutionary spiritual-mountebank, for
some time) is now the favorite Name;--proves, on investigation, to be
an impossible one. Barbier _(Dictionnaire des Anonymes),_ in a helpless
doubting manner, gives still others.] highly unmemorable otherwise.
Whereupon you proceed to said other person's acknowledged WORKS (as they
are called); and find there a style bearing no resemblance whatever; and
are left in a dubious state, if it were of any moment. In the absence
of proof, I am unwilling to charge his Highness de Ligne with such
an action; and indeed am little careful to be acquainted with the
individual who did it, who could and would do it. A Prince of Coxcombs
I can discern him to have been; capable of shining in the eyes of
insincere foolish persons, and of doing detriment to them, not benefit;
a man without reverence for truth or human excellence; not knowing in
fact what is true from what is false, what is excellent from what is
sham-excellent and at the top of the mode; an apparently polite
and knowing man, but intrinsically an impudent, dark and merely
modish-insolent man;--who, if he fell in with Rhadamanthus on his
travels, would not escape a horse-whipping, Him we will willingly leave
to that beneficial chance, which indeed seems a certain one sooner or
later; and address ourselves to consider the theory itself, and the
facts it pretends to be grounded on.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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