History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 14Carlyle, Thomas
History
History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 14
Carlyle, Thomas
Frederick II, King of Prussia, 1712-1786; Prussia (Germany) -- History -- Frederick II, 1740-1786; Social problems
There were fine fightings, in the interior too, under Generals of mark;
General Browne doing feats, excellent old General Feldmarschall Traun,
of whom we shall hear; Maillebois, Belleisle the Younger, of whom we
have heard. There was Battle of Campo-Santo, new battle there
(Traun's); there was Battle of Rottofreddo; of Piacenza (doleful to
Maillebois),--followed by Invasion of Provence, by Revolt of Genoa and
other things: which all readers have now forgotten. [Two elaborate works
on the subject are said to be instructive to military readers: Buonamici
(who was in it, for a while). _De Bello Italico Commentarii_ (in Works
of Buonamici, Lyon, 1750); and Pezay, _Campagnes de Maillebois_ (our
Westphalian friend again) _en Italie,_ 1745-1746 (Paris, 1775).] Readers
are to imagine this Italian War, all along, as a fact very loud and real
at that time, and continually pulsing over into our German Events (like
half-audible thunder below the horizon, into raging thunder above),
little as we can afford to say of it here. One small Scene from this
Italian War;--one, or with difficulty two;--and if possible be silent
about all the rest:
SCENE, ROADS OF CADIZ, October, 1741: BY WHAT ASTONISHING ARTIFICE THIS
ITALIAN WAR DID, AT LENGTH, GET BEGUN.
... "The Spanish Court, that is, Termagant Elizabeth, who rules
everybody there, being in this humor, was passionate to begin; and
stood ready a good while, indignantly champing the bit, before the sad
preliminary obstacles could be got over. At Barcelona she had, in the
course of last summer, doubly busy ever since Mollwitz time, got
into equipment some 15,000 men; but could not by any method get them
across,--owing to the British Fleets, which hung blockading this place
and that; blockading Cadiz especially, where lay her Transport-ships
and War-ships, at this interesting juncture. Fleury's cunctations were
disgusting to the ardent mind; and here now, still more insuperable, are
the British Fleets; here--and a pest to him!--is your Admiral Haddock,
blockading Cadiz, with his Seventy-fours!
"But again, on the other or Pragmatic side, there were cunctations. The
Sardinian Majesty, Charles Emanuel of Savoy, holding the door of
the Alps, was difficult to bargain with, in spite of British
Subsidies;--stood out for higher door-fees, a larger slice of the
Milanese than could be granted him; had always one ear open for France,
too; in short, was tedious and capricious, and there seemed no bringing
him to the point of drawing sword for her Hungarian Majesty. In the end,
he was brought to it, by a stroke of British Art,--such to the admiring
Gazetteer and Diplomatic mind it seemed;--equal to anything we have
since heard of, on the part of perfidious Albion.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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