History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 04 — John Shaqi
History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 04Carlyle, Thomas
History
History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 04
Carlyle, Thomas
Frederick II, King of Prussia, 1712-1786; Prussia (Germany) -- History -- Frederick II, 1740-1786; Social problems
This one short glance into the Satan's Invisible-World of the Berlin
Palace, we could not but afford the reader, when an actual Goblin of it
happened to be walking in our neighborhood. Such an Invisible-World of
Satan exists in most human Houses, and in all human Palaces;--with its
imps, familiar demons, spies, go-betweens, and industrious bad-angels,
continually mounting and descending by THEIR Jacob's-Ladder, or Palace
Backstairs: operated upon by Conjurers of the Grumkow-Creutz or other
sorts. Tyrannous Mamsell Leti, [Leti, Governess to Wilhelmina, but soon
dismissed for insolent cruelty and other bad conduct, was daughter of
that Gregorio Leti ("Protestant Italian Refugee," "Historiographer of
Amsterdam," &c. &c.), who once had a pension in this country; and who
wrote History-Books, a _Life of Cromwell_ one of them, so regardless
of the difference between true and false.] treacherous Mamsell Ramen,
valet-surgeon Eversmann, and plenty more: readers of Wilhelmina's Book
are too well acquainted with them. Nor are expert Conjurers wanting;
capable to work strange feats with so plastic an element as Friedrich
Wilhelm's mind. Let this one short glimpse of such Subterranean World be
sufficient indication to the reader's fancy.
Creutz was not dismissed, as some people had expected he might
be. Creutz continues Finance-Minister; makes a great figure in the
fashionable Berlin world in these coming years, and is much talked of in
the old Books,--though, as he works mostly underground, and merely does
budgets and finance-matters with extreme talent and success, we shall
hope to hear almost nothing more of him. Majesty, while Crown-Prince,
when he first got his regiment from Papa, had found this Creutz
"Auditor" in it; a poor but handsome fellow, with perhaps seven
shillings a week to live upon; but with such a talent for arranging, for
reckoning and recording, in brief for controlling finance, as more and
more charmed the royal mind. [Mauvillon ("Elder Mauvillon," ANONYMOUS),
_Histoire de Frederic Guillaume I.,_ par M. de M--(Amsterdam et Leipzig,
1741), i. 47. A vague flimsy compilation;--gives abundant "State-Papers"
(to such as want them), and echoes of old Newspaper rumor. Very copious
on Creutz.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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