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
Many are the times August the Strong has made this journey; many are
the carousals, on such and other occasions, Grumkow and he have had.
But there comes an end to all things. This was their last meeting, over
flowing liquor or otherwise, in the world. Satirical History says,
they drank all night, endeavoring to pump one another, and with such
enthusiasm that they never recovered it; drank themselves to death
at Crossen on that occasion. [_OEuvres de Frederic (Memoires de
Brandenbourg),_ i. 163.] It is certain August died within three weeks;
and people said of Grumkow, who lived six years longer, he was never
well after this bout. Is it worth any human Creature's while to look
into the plans of this precious pair of individuals? Without the least
expense of drinking, the secrets they were pumping out of each other are
now accessible enough,--if it were of importance now. One glance I may
perhaps commend to the reader, out of these multifarious Note-books in
my possession:--
"August, by change of his religion, and other sad operations, got to be
what they called the King of Poland, thirty five years ago; but,
though looking glorious to the idle public, it has been a crown of
stinging-nettles to the poor man,--a sedan-chair running on rapidly,
with the bottom broken out! To say nothing of the scourgings he got,
and poor Saxony along with him, from Charles XII., on account of this
Sovereignty so called, what has the thing itself been to him? In Poland,
for these thirty-five years, the individual who had least of his real
will done in public matters has been, with infinite management, and
display of such good-humor as at least deserves credit, the nominal
Sovereign Majesty of Poland. Anarchic Grandees have been kings over him;
ambitious, contentious, unmanageable;--very fanatical too, and never
persuaded that August's Apostasy was more than a sham one, not even when
he made his Prince apostatize too. Their Sovereignty has been a mere
peck of troubles, disgraces and vexations: for those thirty-five
years, an ever-boiling pot of mutiny, contradiction, insolence, hardly
tolerable even to such nerves as August's.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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