History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 13Carlyle, Thomas
History
History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 13
Carlyle, Thomas
Frederick II, King of Prussia, 1712-1786; Prussia (Germany) -- History -- Frederick II, 1740-1786; Social problems
"They had Roman-Catholic victual for Walrave and others of that faith,
on the meagre-days; but Walrave eat right before him,--evidently nothing
but the name of Catholic. Indeed, he was a man hated by the Catholics,
for his special rapacity on them. 'He is of no religion at all,' said
the Catholic Prelate of Neisse, one day, to Nussler; (greedy to plunder
the Monasteries here; has wrung gold, silver aud jewels from them,--nay
from the Pope himself,--by threatening to turn Protestant, and use the
Monasteries still worse. And the Pope, hearing of this, had to send him
a valuable Gift, which you may see some day.' Nussler did, one day, see
this preciosity: a Crucifix, ebony bordered with gold, and the Body all
of that metal, on the smallest of altars,--in Walrave's bedroom. But it
was the bedroom itself which Nussler looked at with a shudder," Nussler
and we: "in the middle of it stood Walrave's own bed, on his right hand
that of his Wife, and on his left that of his Mistress:"--a brutish
polygamous Walrave! "This Mistress was a certain Quarter-Master's
Wife,"--Quarter-Master willing, it is probable, to get rid of such an
article gratis, much more on terms of profit. "Walrave had begged for
him the Title of Hofrath from King Friedrich,"--which, though it was
but a clipping of ribbon contemptible to Friedrich, and the brute of an
Engineer had excellent talents in his business, I rather wish Friedrich
had refused in this instance. But he did not; "he answered in gibing
tone, 'I grant you the Hofrath Title for your Quarter-Master; thinking
it but fit that a General's'--What shall we call her? (Friedrich uses
the direct word)--'should have some handle to her name.'" [Busching,
_Beitrage,_ i. 343-348.]
It was this Mistress, one is happy to know, that ultimately betrayed the
unbeautiful Walrave, and brought him to Magdeburg for the rest of his
life.--And now let us over the Mountains, to Chrudim again; a hundred
and fifty miles at one step.
Chapter XII. -- PRINCE KARL DOES COME ON.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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