History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 09Carlyle, Thomas
History
History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 09
Carlyle, Thomas
Frederick II, King of Prussia, 1712-1786; Prussia (Germany) -- History -- Frederick II, 1740-1786; Social problems
It is a hot siege, a stiff defence; Prince Eugene looks on, but does
not attack in the way apprehended. Southward in Italy, we hear there
is marching, strategying in the Parma Country; Graf von Mercy likely to
come to an action before long. Northward, Dantzig by this time is all
wrapt in fire-whirlwinds; its sallyings and outer defences all driven
in; mere torrents of Russian bombs raining on it day and night; French
auxiliaries, snapt up at landing, are on board Russian ships; and poor
Stanislaus and "the Lady of Quality who shot the first gun" have a
bad outlook there. Towards the end of the month, the Berlin volunteer
Generals, our Crown-Prince and his Margraves among them, are getting
on the road for Philipsburg;--and that is properly the one point we are
concerned with. Which took effect in manner following.
Tuesday evening, 29th June, there is Ball at Monbijou; the Crown-Prince
and others busy dancing there, as if nothing special lay ahead.
Nevertheless, at three in the morning he has changed his ball-dress
for a better, he and certain more; and is rushing southward, with his
volunteer Generals and Margraves, full speed, saluted by the rising
sun, towards Philipsburg and the Seat of War. And the same night, King
Stanislaus, if any of us cared for him, is on flight from Dantzig,
"disguised as a cattle-dealer;" got out on the night of Sunday last,
Town under such a rain of bombshells being palpably too hot for him: got
out, but cannot get across the muddy intricacies of the Weichsel; lies
painfully squatted up and down, in obscure alehouses, in that Stygian
Mud-Delta,--a matter of life and death to get across, and not a boat
to be had, such the vigilance of the Russian. Dantzig is capitulating,
dreadful penalties exacted, all the heavier as no Stanislaus is to be
found in it; and search all the keener rises in the Delta after him.
Through perils and adventures of the sort usual on such occasions,
[Credible modest detail of them, in a LETTER from Stanislaus himself
(_History of Stanislaus,_ already cited, pp. 235-248).] Stanislaus
does get across; and in time does reach Preussen; where, by Friedrich
Wilhelm's order, safe opulent asylum is afforded him, till the Fates
(when this War ends) determine what is to become of the poor Imaginary
Majesty. We leave him, squatted in the intricacies of the Mud-Delta,
to follow our Crown-Prince, who in the same hour is rushing far
elsewhither.
Margraves, Generals and he, in their small string of carriages, go
on, by extra-post, day and night; no rest till they get to Hof, in the
Culmbach neighborhood, a good two hundred miles off,--near Wilhelmina,
and more than half-way to Philipsburg. Majesty Friedrich Wilhelm is
himself to follow in about a week: he has given strict order against
waste of time: "Not to part company; go together, and NOT by Anspach or
Baireuth,"--though they lie almost straight for you.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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