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
irarum apud infensos erant."_ (Cited in Kohler, _Munzbelustiqungen,_
xxi. 341; who refers also to Levassor, _Histoire de Louis XII.)_--Pauli
(iii. 542) bedomes qnite vaporous.] a slap that had important
consequences in this world.
For now Wolfgang Wilhelm, flaming off in never-imagined vengeance,
posted straight to Munchen, to Max of Bavaria there; declared himself
convinced, or nearly so, of the Roman-Catholic Religion; wooed, and in
a few weeks (10th November, 1613) wedded Max's younger Sister; and soon
after, at Dusseldorf, pompously professed such his blessed change
of Belief,--with immense flourish of trumpeting, and jubilant
pamphleteering, from Holy Church. [Kohler, ubi supra.] His poor old
Father, the devoutest of Protestants, wailed aloud his "Ichabod!
the glory is departed!"--holding "weekly fast and humiliation" ever
after,--and died in few months of a broken heart. The Catholic League
has now a new Member on those terms.
And on the other hand, Johann Sigismund, nearly with the like haste
(25th December, 1613), declared himself convinced of Calvinism, his
younger Brother's creed; [Pauli, iii. 546.]--which continues ever since
the Brandenburg Court-creed, that of the People being mostly Lutheran.
Men said, it was to please the Dutch, to please the Julichers, most of
whom are Calvinist. Apologetic Pauli is elaborate, but inconclusive.
It was very ill taken at Berlin, where even popular riot arose on the
matter. In Prussia too it had its drawbacks. [Ib. iii. 544; Michaelis,
i. 349.]
And now, all being full of mutation, rearrangement and infinite rumor,
there marched next year (1614), on slight pretext, resting on great
suspicions, Spanish troops into the Julich-Cleve country, and,
countenanced by Neuburg, began seizing garrisons there. Whereupon Dutch
troops likewise marched, countenanced by Brandenburg, and occupied other
fortresses and garrisons: and so, in every strong-place, these were
either Papist-Spaniards or Calvinist-Dutch; who stood there, fronting
one another, and could not by treatying be got out again;--like clouds
positively electric VERSUS clouds negatively. As indeed was getting
to be the case of Germany in general; case fatally visible in every
Province, Principality and Parish there: till a thunder-storm, and
succession of thunder-storms, of Thirty Years' continuance, broke
out. Of which these huge rumors and mutations, and menacings of war,
springing out of that final colloquy and slap in the face, are to
be taken as the THIRD premonitory Symptom. Spaniards and Dutch stand
electrically fronting one another in Cleve for seven years, till their
Truce is out, before they clash together; Germany does not wait so long
by a couple of years.
SYMPTOM FOURTH, AND CATASTROPHE UPON THE HEELS OF IT.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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