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
Such incurable discrepancies have risen in the Berlin Palace: fountains
of bitterness flowing ever wider, till they made life all bitter for Son
and for Father; necessitating the proud Son to hypocrisies towards his
terrible Father, which were very foreign to the proud youth, had there
been any other resource. But there was none, now or afterwards. Even
when the young man, driven to reflection and insight by intolerable
miseries, had begun to recognize the worth of his surly Rhadamanthine
Father, and the intrinsic wisdom of much that he had meant with him, the
Father hardly ever could, or could only by fits, completely recognize
the Son's worth. Rugged suspicious Papa requires always to be humored,
cajoled, even when our feeling towards him is genuine and loyal.
Friedrich, to the last, we can perceive, has to assume masquerade in
addressing him, in writing to him,--and in spite of real love, must have
felt it a relief when such a thing was over. That is, all along, a sad
element of Friedrich's education! Out of which there might have come
incalculable damage to the young man, had his natural assimilative
powers, to extract benefit from all things, been less considerable. As
it was, he gained self-help from it; gained reticence, the power to keep
his own counsel; and did not let the hypocrisy take hold of him, or be
other than a hateful compulsory masquerade. At an uncommonly early age,
he stands before us accomplished in endurance, for one thing; a very
bright young Stoic of his sort; silently prepared for the injustices
of men and things. And as for the masquerade, let us hope it was
essentially foreign even to the skin of the man! The reader will judge
as he goes on. _"Je n'ai jamais trompe personne durant ma vie,_ I
have never deceived anybody during my life; still less will I deceive
posterity," [_ Memoires depuis la Paix de Huberrtsbourg,_ 1763-1774
(Avant-Propos), OEUVRES, vii. 8.] writes Friedrich when his head was now
grown very gray.
Chapter XIII. -- RESULTS OF THE CROWN-PRINCE'S SCHOOLING.
Neither as to intellectual culture, in Duhan's special sphere, and with
all Duhan's good-will, was the opportunity extremely golden. It cannot
be said that Friedrich, who spells in the way we saw, "ASTEURE" for
"A CETTE HEURE," has made shining acquisitions on the literary side.
However, in the long-run it becomes clear, his intellect, roving on
devious courses, or plodding along the prescribed tram-roads, had been
wide awake; and busy all the while, bringing in abundant pabulum of an
irregular nature.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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