History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 10Carlyle, Thomas
History
History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 10
Carlyle, Thomas
Frederick II, King of Prussia, 1712-1786; Prussia (Germany) -- History -- Frederick II, 1740-1786; Social problems
"Never in my life should I have taken this for a Schloss, had it not
been that there were two glass lamps fixed at the door-posts, and the
figures of two Cranes standing in front of them, by way of Guards.
We made up to the House; and after knocking almost half an hour to no
purpose, there peered out at last an exceedingly old woman, who looked
as if she might have nursed the Prince of Mirow's father. The poor
woman, at sight of strangers, was so terrified, she slammed the door to
in our faces. We knocked again; and seeing there could nothing be made
of it, we went round to the stables; where a fellow told us, 'The young
Prince with his Consort was gone to Neu-Strelitz, a couple of miles off
[ten miles English]; and the Duchess his Mother, who lives here, had
given him, to make the better figure, all her people along with him;
keeping nobody but the old woman to herself.'
"It was still early; so I thought I could not do better than profit by
the opportunity, and have a look at Neu-Strelitz. We took post-horses;
and got thither about noon. Neu-Strelitz is properly a Village; with
only one street in it, where Chamberlains, Office-Clerks, Domestics all
lodge, and where there is an Inn. I cannot better describe it to my Most
All-gracious Father than by that street in Gumbinnen where you go up to
the Town-hall,--except that no house here is whitewashed. The Schloss is
fine, and lies on a lake, with a big garden; pretty much like Reinsberg
in situation.
"The first question I asked here was for the Prince of Mirow: but they
told me he had just driven off again to a place called Kanow; which
is only a couple of miles English from Mirow, where we had been.
Buddenbrock, who is acquainted with Neu-Strelitz, got me, from a
chamberlain, something to eat; and in the mean while, that Bohme came
in, who was Adjutant in my Most All-gracious Father's Regiment [not of
Goltz, but King's presumably]: Bohme did not know me till I hinted
to him who I was. He told me, 'The Duke of Strelitz was an excellent
seamster;'" fit to be Tailor to your Majesty in a manner, had not Fate
been cruel, "'and that he made beautiful dressing-gowns (CASSAQUINS)
with his needle.' This made me curious to see him: so we had ourselves
presented as Foreigners; and it went off so well that nobody recognized
me. I cannot better describe the Duke than by saying he is like old
Stahl [famed old medical man at Berlin, dead last year, physiognomy not
known to actual readers], in a blond Abbe's-periwig. He is extremely
silly (BLODE); his Hofrath Altrock tells him, as it were, everything he
has to say." About fifty, this poor Duke; shrunk into needlework, for a
quiet life, amid such tumults from Schwerin and elsewhere.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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