History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 17Carlyle, Thomas
History
History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 17
Carlyle, Thomas
Frederick II, King of Prussia, 1712-1786; Prussia (Germany) -- History -- Frederick II, 1740-1786; Social problems
This is the sum-total: but for Friedrich's sake, and to illustrate
the situation, let us take a few glances more, into the then Satan's
Invisible World, which had become so ominously busy round Friedrich and
others. The Czarina, we say, was got to engage; 22d May, 1746, there
came a Treaty of Petersburg duly valid, which is that of Warsaw under a
new name: and still Bruhl durst not, for above a year coming,--not till
August 15th, 1747; [MEMOIRE RAISONNE (in _Gesammelte Nachrichten _), i.
459.] and then, only in a hypothetic half-and-half way, with fear and
trembling, though with hunger unspeakable, in sight of the viands. A
very wretched Bruhl, as seen in these Menzel Documents. On poor Polish
Majesty Bruhl has played the sorcerer, this long while, and ridden him
as he would an enchanted quadruped, in a shameful manner: but how, in
turn (as we study Menzel), is Bruhl himself hagridden, hunted by his
own devils, and leads such a ghastly phantasmal existence yonder, in
the Valley of the Shadow of CLOTHES,--mere Clothes, metaphorical and
literal! ["MONTREZ-MOI DES VERTUS, PAS DES CULOTTES (Have you no virtues
then to show me; nothing but pain of breeches)!" exclaimed an impatient
French Traveller, led about in Bruhl's Palace one day: Archenholtz,
_Geschichte des Siebenjahrigen Krieges,_ i. 63.] Wretched Bruhl,
agitated with hatreds of a rather infernal nature, and with terrors of
a not celestial, comes out on our sympathies, as a dog almost
pitiable,--were that possible, with twelve tailors sewing for him, and a
Saxony getting shoved over the precipices by him.
A famishing dog in the most singular situation. What he dare do, he
does, and with such a will. But there is almost only one thing safe to
him: that of egging on the Czarina against Friedrich; of coining lies to
kindle Czarish Majesty; of wafting on every wind rumors to that end, and
continually besieging with them the empty Czarish mind. Bruhl has many
Conduits, "the Sieur de Funck," "the Sieur Gross" plenty of Legationary
Sieurs and Conduits;--which issue from all quarters on Petersburg, and
which find there a Reservoir, and due Russian SERVICE-PIPES, prepared
for them;--and Bruhl is busy. "Commerce of Dantzig to be ruined,"
suggests he, "that is plain: look at his Asiatic Companies, his Port of
Embden. Poland is to be stirred up;--has not your Czarish Majesty
heard of his intrigues there? Courland, which is almost become your
Majesty's--cunningly snatched by your Majesty's address, like a valuable
moribund whale adrift among the shallows,--this bad man will have it
out to sea again, with the harpoons in it; fairly afloat amid the Polish
Anarchies again!" These are but specimens of Bruhl. Or we can give such
in Bruhl's own words, if the reader had rather. Here are Two, which have
the advantage of brevity:--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account