History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 06 — John Shaqi
History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 06Carlyle, Thomas
History
History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 06
Carlyle, Thomas
Frederick II, King of Prussia, 1712-1786; Prussia (Germany) -- History -- Frederick II, 1740-1786; Social problems
For England answers, cordially enough, if not, with all the hurry
Friedrich Wilhelm wanted, "Yea, we are willing for the thing;"--and
meets, with great equanimity and liberality, the new whims, difficulties
and misgivings, which arose on Friedrich Wilhelm's part, at a wearisome
rate, as the negotiation went on; and which are always frankly smoothed
away again by the cooler party. Why did not the bargain close, then?
Alas, one finds, the answer YEA had unfortunately set his Prussian
Majesty on viewing, through magnifiers, what advantages there might have
been in NO: this is a difficulty there is no clearing away! Probably,
too, the Tobacco-Parliament was industrious. Friedrich Wilhelm, at last,
tries if Half will not do; anxious, as we all too much are, "to say Yes
AND No;" being in great straits, poor man:--"Your Prince of Wales to wed
Wilhelmina at once; the other Match to stand over?" To which the
English Government answers always briefly, "No; both the Marriages or
none!"--Will the reader consent to a few compressed glances into the
extinct Dubourgay Correspondence; much compressed, and here and there a
rushlight stuck in it, for his behoof. Dubourgay, at Berlin, writes;
my Lord Townshend, in St. James's reads, usually rather languid in
answering:--
BERLIN, 9th NOVEMBER, 1728. "Prussian Majesty much pleased with English
Answers" to the Yes-or-No question: "will send a Minister to our Court
about the time his Britannic Majesty may think of coming over to his
German Dominions. Would Finkenstein (Head Tutor), or would Knyphausen
(distinguished Official here), be the agreeable man?" "Either," answer
the English; "either is good."
BERLIN, SAME DATE. "Queen sent for me just now; is highly content with
the state of things. 'I have now,' said her Majesty, 'the pleasure
to tell you that I am free, God be blessed, of all the anguish I have
labored under for some time past, which was so great that I have several
times been on the point of sending for you to procure my Brother's
protection for my Son, who, I thought, ran the greatest danger from the
artifices of Seckendorf and'"--Poor Queen!
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