History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 07Carlyle, Thomas
History
History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 07
Carlyle, Thomas
Frederick II, King of Prussia, 1712-1786; Prussia (Germany) -- History -- Frederick II, 1740-1786; Social problems
Crown-Prince Friedrich, doubtless, looking at this flower-bed of human
nature, and the reward of happy daring paid by Beauty, has vivid images
of Princess Amelia and her Vice-regency of Hanover; bright Princess and
Vice-regency, divided from him by bottomless gulfs, which need such a
swim as that of Leander across the material Hellespont was but a trifle
to!--In which of the villages Hotham and Dickens lodged, I did not learn
or inquire; nor are their copious Despatches, chronicling these sublime
phenomena from day to day for behoof of St. James's, other than entirely
inane to us at this time. But one thing we do learn from them:
Our Crown-Prince, escaping the paternal vigilance, was secretly in
consultation with Dickens, or with Hotham through Dickens; and this in
the most tragic humor on his side. In such effulgences of luxury and
scenic grandeur, how sad an attendant is Black Care,--nay foul misusage,
not to be borne by human nature! Accurate Professor Ranke has read
somewhere,--does not comfortably say where, nor comfortably give the
least date,--this passage, or what authorizes him to write it. "In that
Pleasure-Camp of Muhlberg, where the eyes of so many strangers were
directed to him, the Crown-Prince was treated like a disobedient boy,
and one time even with strokes (KORPERLICH MISSHANDELT), to make him
feel he was only considered as such. The enraged King, who never weighed
the consequences of his words, added mockery to his manual outrage. He
said, 'Had I been treated so by my Father, I would have blown my brains
out: but this fellow has no honor, he takes all that comes!'" [Ranke,
_Neun Bucher Preussischer Geschichte_ (Berlin, 1847), i. 297.] EINMAL
KORPERLICH MISSHANDELT: why did not the Professor give us time,
occasion, circumstances, and name of some eye-witness? For the fact,
which stands reported in the like fashion in all manner of Histories,
we shall otherwise find to be abundantly certain; and it produced
conspicuous definite results. It is, as it were, the one fact still
worth human remembrance in this expensive Radewitz and its fooleries;
and is itself left in that vague inert state,--irremediable at present.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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